Illinois

About the program

The State of Illinois received $615,000 through cooperative agreement EH21-2102 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the third funding year. The funds address childhood lead poisoning prevention and surveillance programmatic activities being conducted from September 30, 2023, to September 29, 2024.

The strategies focus on:

• Ensuring blood lead testing and reporting
• Enhancing blood lead surveillance
• Improving linkages to recommended services

To learn more about these efforts in Illinois, contact the program below.

Illinois Department of Public Health

Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program

525 West Jefferson St.

Springfield, IL 62761

Phone: 217-782-0403, 866-909-3572

Success story: funding year 3

Illinois prioritizes testing children in areas at high risk for childhood lead exposure

Challenge

The Illinois Lead Poisoning Prevention Act requires that children ages six years and younger who live in areas designated by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) as high risk to be tested for lead poisoning. The social distance mandate to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in 2020 resulted in a 24% decrease in testing and identification of children with lead in blood compared with 2019. Illinois needed to re-evaluate high-risk ZIP codes for childhood lead exposure as a tool to increase blood lead testing among children ages six years and younger who are living in those areas.

Intervention

Illinois used a rank procedure to designate ZIP Codes at highest risk for lead exposure. Risk indicators included proportions of pre-1978 housing units by ZIP Code with lead hazards and lead prevalence based on the 2021 American Healthy Homes Survey final report and proportion of individuals earning less than $35,000/year. IDPH scored each of the risk indicators from 1 to 9 (1=lowest risk and 9=highest risk). Based on the three indicators, risk scores ranged from 3 (lowest) to 27 (highest). ZIP Codes at the median risk index of 15 and above were classified as high risk. Researchers considered additional ZIP Codes to be high risk if five or more children tested for blood lead had a result of greater than or equal to 3.5 µg/dL and at least 7.5% of children tested in a particular area had a blood lead level at or above the blood lead reference value.

Impact

IDPH used lead exposure risk scores and rankings to determine that about two in every three (66%) ZIP Codes in the state were designated as high risk for childhood lead exposure. To address the issue, department staff increased blood lead testing in phases. More testing for children living in ZIP Codes with a lead exposure risk (exposure) score of 15–27 began on July 1, 2023, as part of Phase 1. Starting July 1, 2024, IDPH boosted testing for kids living in ZIP Codes with a risk index score of 10–14 in Phase 2. In the third phase, IDPH plans to include children in ZIP Codes with a risk score of 5–9 beginning July 1,2025. Universal blood lead testing is set to happen for all children in the state on July 1, 2026. The Department adds ZIP Codes to the high-risk area listing annually on July 1 until it becomes universal testing.

Funding for this work was made possible in part by NUE2EH001398 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The views expressed in this material do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Success story: funding year 2

Developing and sustaining a statewide Illinois lead poisoning elimination advisory committee

Challenge

In 2003, Illinois first created the Illinois Lead Poisoning Elimination Advisory Committee (ILPEAC) which consists of personnel from the Illinois Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program and other partners. The goal of ILPEAC is to work together to make recommendations to improve blood lead testing and reporting for children younger than 6 years of age who are at risk of lead exposure, based on local data. The list of zip codes that are high risk for lead exposure has not been updated since 2005. With staffing changes, turnover, and other priorities, this committee has not met since 2016.

Intervention

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) prioritized reconvening and rebuilding the ILPEAC to analyze data to update which zip codes are at a higher risk of lead poisoning and to discuss possible changes to statutes, regulations, and environmental inspection procedures. To update the list of zip codes, the committee will look at several variables, including an area's age of housing, percent of child population under 6, federal income to poverty index, and blood lead testing and outcomes at CDC's current recommended intervention level of 3.5 µg/dL.

In addition to IDPH personnel, other partners serving on the committee include the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Human Services, Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Illinois Housing Development Authority, Chemical Industry Council of Illinois, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Elevate Energy – Green & Healthy Homes, Health and Family Services, the Illinois Attorney General's Office, and an expert medical consultant.

Impact

ILPEAC meetings were held in June and September 2022, and they will be held quarterly going forward. A sub-committee was created to develop the revised list of zip codes that are high risk. The ILPEAC will also participate in educational document reviews and strategies to increase evaluation and testing. Information will also be shared with the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program partners.

Funding for this work was made possible in part by NUE2EH001398 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The views expressed in this material do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Success story: funding year 1

Illinois approves new lead rule

Challenge

The burden of childhood lead poisoning in Illinois remains one of the highest in the nation. Of the approximately 229,000 children who received a blood lead test in Illinois in 2017, more than 7,000 had a blood lead level (BLL) at or above 5 micrograms per deciliter (µg/dL).

Intervention

In 2017, the Illinois Department of Health (IDPH), in conjunction with the Governor's Task Force on Children and Youth, began an effort to revise the Lead Poisoning Prevention Code (LPPC) to adopt the CDC blood lead reference value of 5 µg/dL. This purpose of this revision was to help the IDPH to identify more children with lead poisoning, allowing doctors and public health officials to act earlier to reduce the child's exposure to lead.

IDPH drafted edits to the LPPC, including the adoption of 5 µg/dL for case management and environmental investigation follow-up services. In August 2018, the LPPC was published in the Illinois Register and began its first 45-day public comment period which offers the public the ability to offer feedback. IDPH received and responded to over 80 public comments and modified the LPPC as necessary. A second public comment period occurred in October 2018. With few additional comments, the LPPC moved to the Illinois Judicial Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) for hearing.

Impact

In February 2019, JCAR officially approved and promulgated the revised LPPC. Children with BLLs at or above 5 µg/dL receive a home visit from a public health nurse to educate families on ways to lower the BLL and reduce lead exposure, including proper nutrition, hygiene, and housekeeping.

Funding for this work was made possible in part by NUE2EH001398 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The views expressed in this material do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.